1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to brassiere fasteners and particularly to multiple vertically spaced end strap connectors extending from the end a single wide elasticized chest band extending laterally outward from each cup portion on a bra, each wide chest band being divided into multiple connector fingers at the end furthest from the cup creating at least two smaller vertically separated horizontal connector fingers having separate adjustable connectors on each mating pair of connecting fingers so that each of the pairs of mating fingers is adjusted independently to allow the bra to attach firmly and comfortably around a tapered torso of a wearer taking into account the varying girth at different heights on the tapered body of the wearer.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
The torso of a wearer may taper in various ways. Some peoples' torsos taper from a larger upper chest and rib cage portion of the torso tapering downwardly to a progressively narrower stomach portion and thin waist. Other peoples' torsos taper from a larger stomach portion to a narrower upper chest portion, such as on a pregnant woman. With weight gains and losses, the taper may change over time for the same person. Providing a tight comfortable fit with full support for the breasts, particularly large breasts, requires horizontal adjustability, which may vary depending of the vertical position of the connecting straps of a bra.
Prior art devices fail to provide the same firm support because they lack the adjustability with multiple independent connector straps with rows of connectors at different heights so that the prior art does not adjust securely to all portions of a tapering torso.
While several brassieres are provided in the prior art which have split or multi-band chest bands, they provide two thin straps with single connectors crossing in front of the brassieres as well as the back with no wide chest band, which do not provide strong support and lack the range of firm adjustability provided by the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,451,001, issued Oct. 12, 1948 to Speiser, claims a strapless brassiere including a body encircling portion comprising three straps: a first strap that runs under the breasts, a second strap above the breasts and a third strap extending over the breasts. Each strap has complementary fastening devices on the ends thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,363,017, issued Nov. 21, 1944 to Plehn, describes a brassiere shoulder strap construction wherein the shoulder straps are formed from one continuous adjustable strap that runs over a first shoulder, through a first guide element and a first elastic member attached to a first end portion of the chest band, across the span between the two ends of the chest band, through a second elastic member attached to a second end portion of the chest band and a second guide element, and over the second shoulder. The spanning portion of the continuous strap forms a second strap crossing the user's back.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,255,720, issued Sep. 9, 1941 to Lewis, discloses a brassiere two tapering back extensions sew to the outer edge of each breast cup. On the outer side of each breast cup, the upper tapering back extension has a loop at the end thereof and the lower tapering back extension has a buttonhole at the end thereof. The shoulder straps are threaded though the accompanying upper tapering back extension and then crossed over each other and fastened by a button to the buttonhole at the end of the opposite lower tapering back extension.
Two U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,804,855 issued May 12, 1931 and 1,766,278 issued Jun. 24, 1930 to Bollwine, indicate a brassiere with two body encircling straps. The first lower strap is adjustable and runs beneath the breasts and around to the back. The second upper strap is formed from a tapered wing extension projecting from the outer edge of each breast cup and a connecting strap which is elastic and provides tension at a higher position to provide more lift for the breasts.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,782,044, issued Nov. 18, 1930 to Lustgarten, puts forth a bra which has two adjustable straps attached, one on each end, to the chest encircling band. The adjustable straps are each attached to one of the ends of the chest encircling band at the bottom edge and are fastened and worn in a crisscrossed fashion with the ends of the adjustable straps fastened to the opposing end of the chest encircling band at an upper edge.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,667,796, issued May 1, 1928 to Morrison, concerns a brassiere with an upper and a lower torso encircling band. The lower band runs underneath the breast cups. The upper band comprises a strap with ends that diverge into a plurality of connecting ends that are affixed to the side of a breast cup. Both bands are shown in FIG. 3 to have a closure at the back. The shoulder straps are connected in the back to both bands.
U.S. Patent Application #20080125011, published May 29, 2008 by Gleeson, claims an uplift bra with two breast cups, joined together at a mid region. A chest strap extends from each breast cup, to encompass the chest of the wearer. The chest straps are engaged to each breast cup at least two locations, a first location being above a second location. Each breast cup has a panel with a perimeter defining a neckline and a support line. The support line is of a continuously curved nature between its upper terminus where a shoulder support strap is located, and its inner terminus where the cups are joined. The breast cups each include a longitudinally extending line of inelasticity extending between the first location and the mid region.
U.S. Patent Application #20080113587, published May 15, 2008 by Richardson, describes a front hook bra and a truss for supporting breasts of a user wearing the bra. The bra has a first cup, a second cup and/or the truss for supporting and/or for enclosing the breasts of the user. The truss connects a rear end of the first portion to a rear end of the second portion and comprises three adjustable straps extending from an outer side of each cup. The ends of the six straps are joined in the center of the wearer's back by a ring. The truss reduces stress of, strain of and/or pain in shoulders, a neck and/or a back of the user from the weight of the breasts of the user. The bays, the truss and/or the cups of the bra minimize unwanted movements of the breast of the user.
U.S. Patent Application #20060189254, published Aug. 24, 2006 by Hood, discloses a strapless bra including an upper strap system coupled to an upper portion of each of first and second cup members, wherein the upper strap system includes first and second strap members selectively operable to couple to one another, and a lower strap system coupled to a lower portion of each of the first and second cup members, wherein the lower strap system includes third and fourth strap members selectively operable to couple to one another. The upper strap system is selectively operable to conform to a first girth and the lower strap system is selectively operable to conform to a second girth. The first and second girths can be unequal.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,579,546, issued Dec. 25, 1951 to Cadous, is for a strapless brassiere which has back panels attached to the sides of the cups. Each back panel has a top and a bottom tape with adjustable slides. The top tape and bottom tape may be adjusted independently to fit the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,468,622, issued Apr. 26, 1949 to Glick, provides a strapless brassiere which has two adjustable chest encircling straps which are attached to the breast cup at different elevations and which are worn and fastened in a crisscrossed fashion. Alternately, a fabric patch may be sewn to the upper and lower straps of each side of the chest band as shown in FIG. 6.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,454,154, issued Nov. 16, 1948 to Glick, shows a strapless brassiere which has two adjustable chest encircling straps which are attached to the breast cup at different elevations and which are worn and fastened in a crisscrossed fashion.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,197,344, issued Sep. 5, 1916 to Clark, illustrates a bust confining and reducing garment with an upper elastic strap and a lower back closure. The upper elastic strap is permanent and does not comprise a closure. The lower back closure comprises tapered extensions from the garment having straps attached to the ends thereof. The straps are drawn to the front of the user and tied to secure the lower back closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,067,289, issued Jul. 15, 1913 to Volk, is for a breast supporter which may be used with an abdominal support. The breast supporter comprises a pair of breast cups connected to each other by joining straps at their adjacent edges. Attached to the outer side edge of the first breast cup are an upper strap and a lower strap which encircle the body and are fastened on the outer side edge of the second breast cup.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,276,884, issued Jul. 7, 1981 to O'Daniels, provides a brassiere comprising two breast-receiving cups, a halter-type strap having its opposite ends connected to respective cups extending over the wearer's shoulders with a median section lying horizontally across the wearer's back and tensioned by two lateral straps connecting said halter-type strap to the back portion of the brassiere.
U.S. Pat. No. D475,835, issued Jun. 17, 2003 to Hoffman et al, shows the ornamental design for an adjustable bra.
What is needed is a single wide elasticized strap or chest band extending from each cup area of a bra having each chest band divided into at least two vertically spaced connecting fingers at the back with multiple vertically spaced pairs of connectors on each of the connecting fingers each having separate adjustability to allow the bra to attach firmly and comfortably around a tapered torso of a wearer taking into account the varying girth at different heights on the tapered body.